The Human Rights Review Tribunal has upheld a complaint against Cameron Slater and order that he pay $70,000 damages to Matthew Blomfield, one of the highest awards ever made.

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The Daily Blog
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Human Rights Review Tribunal orders Cameron Slater to pay damages

The Human Rights Review Tribunal has today upheld a complaint against Cameron Slater. The Tribunal found that Slater had breached the privacy of Matthew Blomfield by obtaining and publishing Mr Blomfield’s personal information.

The Tribunal ordered Slater to pay $70,000 in damages for the “humiliation, loss of dignity, and injury to feelings experienced by Mr Blomfield”. That is one of the highest awards ever made by the HRRT. It also ordered Slater to destroy Mr Blomfield’s personal information and to cease publishing stories based on that information.

In reaching its decision, the Tribunal rejected an argument from Slater that he was protected by a privacy exemption for news media. The Tribunal accepted that the blog site Whale Oil could be a news medium. However, it found that all but one of the publications complained of could not properly be described as a news activity. Rather, they were “gratuitous allegations” as part of a “sustained campaign” against Mr Blomfield. The Tribunal described the blog as “a calculated attack on Mr Blomfield and an extended assassination of his character”.

While being elated at the result, Mr Blomfield was very disappointed that the decision had taken so long. “I feel like I have lived the maxim, “justice delayed is justice denied”” he said. The hearing of this complaint before the Tribunal occurred more than four years ago. A few weeks ago, Slater had himself declared bankrupt. Since the hearing, the private information has appeared on other blog sites including one run by the lay advocate who assisted Slater before the HRRT. “The Tribunal has sat on this case for so long that it will now be very difficult for me to enforce any of its orders” said Mr Blomfield.

“Mr Slater’s actions have been an extended nightmare for me and my family. He has boasted online about having my family’s private information including the photos of my kids growing up and our family home movies. This has been especially traumatic for my children and my partner.” said Mr Blomfield. “Every allegation he made about me was a fabrication. As has become clear in the defamation case, there was simply no basis for the allegations, he just made them up.”

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12 COMMENTS

  1. Good all such acts deserve this treatment, publish hit jobs and unproven allegations, get slapped down.

  2. Seems a fair outcome, considering the stress Matthew Blomfield and his family were put through, courtesy of Slater!

    Having declared bankruptcy, we wait and see what Cameron Slater’s response will be to this decision.

  3. The only question I have, is who was he doing this for? That is the one thing that seems to have been buried over the period this has been ongoing…
    It also occurs to me that the reason it took so long was to protect the real drivers of this behavior until they could be “disappeared” from any culpability… The senior judiciary in NZ is closely linked with the corporate raiders(national), so the probability is that this was deliberately dragged out to give them time to get under cover..
    Now that their attack dog has been muzzled, at long last(note that while the criminal John Key was pm, Slater operated with impunity) The beneficiaries of Slaters deplorable behavior will happily let him twist in the wind…

  4. Don’t know which was worse, Slater’s character assassination or the HRRT taking four years ro arrive at a decision. The length of time is ridiculous. We might as well not have the Tribunal, with such an unacceptable delay.

    *That* is where the real scandal lies.

  5. Well I’ll be fucked. (Whale Oil beef hooked)
    Now he has been .-Financially, reputationally and physically.
    I’m happy about the first two. Sorry about the Physical though.
    Even arseholes don’t deserve that.

  6. “A few weeks ago, Slater had himself declared bankrupt.”

    This is what jumped out at me.

    There is no bottom as to how far he’s prepared to sink.

  7. I would have liked to see David Cunliffe take action over his treatment by Slater and some members of the news media.
    He was slandered and had blatant untruths spread about his activities that should have had those people concerned censored for their actions against him.
    There were many others who have been at the receiving end of Whale oil campaigns against them and their innocent families.
    Mr Blomfield should be compensated and i hope he gets the money in light of bankruptcy claims by Slater.
    The slow wheels of justice do grind on too long which only adds to the misery of the victims including children.

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